[1]By the time King Injong (r. 1122–1146) ascended the Goryeo throne as the 17th monarch, the royal authority had significantly weakened and faced serious challenges from powerful factions.

A series of events unfolded that ultimately led to the collapse of royal authority and the rise of military dominance.

In 1126, Yi Cha-gyŏm orchestrated an unsuccessful coup d'etat attempt, during which the royal palace in Goryeo's capital, Kaegyŏng, was consumed by fire.

[2][3] Exploiting the resulting social unrest, Myocheong advised King Injong that the misfortunes originated from Kaegyŏng's feng shui and advocated for relocating the capital to Sŏgyŏng (서경; 西京; lit.

[4] This relocation movement sparked a power struggle with the Kaegyŏng establishment and came to a head in Myocheong's rebellion, swiftly quelled by forces under scholar-general Kim Bu-sik.

When the king entered the gates of Bohyeonwon and the officials began to disperse, Yi Ko and others killed Im Chŏng-sik (?

After killing over fifty civil officials in Kaegyŏng, Chŏng Chung-bu (1106–1179) and his associates escorted the king back to the palace.

[10][11][12][13]The military rule came to an end with the sea change in geopolitics and the ascension of King Chungryeol to the Goryeo throne, whose wife was Kublai's daughter.

Kublai welcomed Wonjong and said "even Emperor Taizong of Tang couldn't conquer Goryeo, yet here you are—the crown prince; it must bode well.

"[14] The following month, Kublai defeated Ariq Böke in a civil war, became khan, and proclaimed its khanate Yuan China.

His Chinese ministers, such as Ma Heng (1207-77), counseled that improved relations with Koryŏ would prevent a damaging alliance between the Song and the Koreans.

Ma Xiji, another official, also argued that Koryŏ's men and material could be profitably turned to the planned conquest of Japan.

If convinced of the congruence of its interests with those of the Yuan court, the Koryŏ throne would be more inclined to resist the princes' overtures and threats.

Finally, in the succession struggle with his brother Ariq Böke, the submission of Koryŏ bolstered Qubilai's credentials as Great Khan and removed it as a potential source of manpower and material to his rival.

[26] Those who could speak Mongolian or had connections in Yuan China quickly replaced the military as the influential social stratum.